Kent State didn’t envision losing two straight games to begin the regular season.

But after falling to Northwestern, 4-0, and to New Hampshire, 5-1, on the season’s opening weekend, that is exactly where they stand.

The Flashes returned to the practice field this week to make necessary adjustments in preparation for their two-game trip to Iowa this weekend.

“We had a good practice,” said Kent State coach Kathleen Wiler. “It started out a little quiet, but they got their energy up and worked really hard.

“The biggest thing is after a day off and a weekend, you just want to come out and see them compete,” Wiler said.

Senior midfielder Chelsea Sickel, who has been on the field for 75 minutes in two games, understood what the first weekend of the season meant to the team and kept a positive attitude.

“We definitely had a setback last weekend,” Sickel said. “We were expecting to do better in those games than we did, but we’re a young team and we’re not going to let it get us down.”

Sickel was encouraged by the play of her teammates during their practice on Tuesday.

“I thought the intensity was great today,” Sickel said. “Everybody showed up ready to practice, ready to play. The whole first day of school didn’t affect them at all.”

The Flashes’ trip to the Corn Belt was split into two days, and they left Kent on Thursday. The Flashes stopped in South Bend, Ind. for the night before continuing to Iowa on Friday.

The trip will not only test the team’s will and resolve on the road, but will also hopefully help to strengthen relationships between teammates.

“We’re going to get there, have a hit-around Thursday night, go out to a nice team dinner and probably watch a lot of movies,” Wiler said.

Always a competitor, Sickel is anticipating the back-to-back games in Iowa.

“I’m just looking forward to the challenge going into the weekend,” Sickel said. “It’s going to be a long trip, but I’m looking forward to seeing how the team reacts and if we can try and go out there and keep the intensity going all the way out in Iowa.”

Sickel and the rest of the Flashes hope to return to Kent with a record of 2-2. They will look to accomplish that goal beginning with Friday’s 6 p.m. game against Iowa. The Flashes will then face Massachusetts on Saturday at 4 p.m.

“We definitely have all of the skills there, we just need to improve our knowledge base,” Sickel said.

Contact Nick Shook at [email protected].